Greenpeace Czech Republic marks Kyoto coming into force with a large banner reading "Kyoto for the Earth" in the front of famous National Museum in the centre of Prague. The museum is a place marking historic and symbolic events in recent Czech history.

Kyoto

On 16 February 2005, in the culmination of ten years of
sometimes exhausting and often frustrating negotiations, the Kyoto
Protocol became law. Thirty-five industrialised countries along
with the European Union are now legally bound to reduce or limit
their greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

TheKyoto Protocol is the world's only international agreement
with bindingtargets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As such,
it is theprimary tool governments of the world have to address
climatechange. Specifically, the Protocol requires a nominal 5
percentreduction in emissions by developed countries world-wide
relative to1990 levels, by 2008-2012. To meet this world-wide
target, eachcountry is obligated to its individual target - the
European Union(EU[15]) 8 percent, Japan 6 percent, etc. These
individualtargets are derived from past greenhouse gas
emissions.

Inaddition to legally binding national emissions targets, the
KyotoProtocol includes various trading mechanisms. Now that
theProtocol is law, formal preparations will begin to create a
'global'carbon market for emissions trading by 2008, and the
so-called'flexible mechanisms' - the Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) and JointImplementation (JI) - will become operational.

The KyotoProtocol was originally agreed on in 1997 - although
many crucialdetails were left to later talks. In order to enter
into force(become law) the Protocol required ratification by at
least 55countries accounting for at least 55 percent of the carbon
dioxideemissions from Annex B (industrialised) nations. So far,
129countries have ratified or acceded to the Protocol. It passed
thenumber of countries test in 2002, and finally passed the second
hurdlewith ratification by the Russian Federation in late 2004.

Notablyabsent from the Protocol is the US; which shows no signs
of ratifyingthe treaty, at least not as long as the Bush
administration is in power- even though the US is the world's
biggest greenhouse gaspolluter. Australia, Liechtenstein, Croatia
and Monaco also haveyet to complete the ratification process.

The Clean Development Mechanism (Article 12)

TheClean Development Mechanism is designed to generate emissions
reductioncredits for Annex I countries that finance projects in
non-Annex Icountries who are part of the treaty. For example,
Canadafinancing an energy efficiency project in China, or Japan
financing arenewable energy project in Morocco. These projects must
have theapproval of the CDM Executive Board, and in addition to
generatingmeasurable emissions reductions against a
business-as-usual baseline,they should contribute to sustainable
development in the developingcountry partners.

Joint Implementation (Article 3)

JointImplementation allows industrialised countries with
emissions reductiontargets to cooperate in meeting them. For
example,German-financed energy efficiency projects in Russia,
orNorwegian-financed renewable energy projects in Hungary, which
generateemissions reductions, under specific circumstances can be
credited tothe country that finances them. In theory, this is a
moreeconomically efficient means of generating the same overall
emissionsreductions for industrialised countries.

TheKyoto Protocol is an important first step - as it was
intended tobe. It has always been recognized that the Kyoto
Protocol willnot be enough on its own. To avoid dangerous climate
change theworld needs at least 30 percent cuts by industrialized
countries by2020, increasing to 70-80 percent cuts by mid-century.
Anythingless than this will consign our children and theirs to a
veryunpleasant and very unstable world.

The decisions thatgovernments, industry and civil society make
over the next decade ortwo will be decisive. You have a say in
those decision, and your helpis needed. See our Take Action page
for what you can do.

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